Prescription for success

Consulting group forms alliance to provide individualized service for small businesses

BY KRIS BEVILL

AFargo consulting group believes it has developed the prescription for small business success. The recently formed Small Business Rx Alliance is comprised of about 10 independent consultants representing various business-related disciplines who work together to evaluate and assist small business owners with business concerns on an asneeded basis, providing advice and specialized duties to fit each business’ specific needs.

Think of it as an executive in a box, says Harlan Goerger, alliance member and owner of leadership and sales development consulting firm AskHG. He says the group specializes in offering transitional services to small businesses that may be in need of financial guidance or advertising advice, for example, but can’t necessarily afford to bring a full-time person on staff. The alliance allows business owners to hire its consultants on a parttime basis until it becomes large enough to warrant a full-time person or has resolved its singular issue. This approach is not only effective but can save business owners a substantial amount of money as well, according to Goerger. “You’re not paying $100,000 a year, you’re paying maybe a couple hundred dollars a month,” he says.

The brainchild of the group, Joe Day, is co-owner of financial services company 1st Consumer Benefit Consultants Inc. He got the idea to form the alliance after developing an employee assistance program for businesses. “I thought, if we can do that much for employees, what can we do for the employers?” he says. Day asked area business owners what issues cause them the most problems and began gathering a group of experts to provide them with the services they needed most. The alliance officially launched last fall and currently includes consultants specializing in finance, law, human relations, payroll, benefits services, advertising, IT, web services and leadership and sales training. Day says the alliance has already been more successful than he envisioned and has received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from clients.

The alliance works exclusively with executives and business owners. Clients so far have included businesses in a variety of industries ranging in size from startups to large companies, according to Goerger. “Some are growing very fast, others are more mature and looking to increase profitability rather than grow,” he says.

Because each company’s issues vary, potential clients must first complete a confidential questionnaire and divulge details of their organization’s financial health and other issues. The alliance gathers weekly to review questionnaires in a confidential setting and determine potential courses of action. Occasionally, the group decides a company is beyond the point of recovery, but typically they are able to put a plan in place to assist the business owner in improving their business. The group refers to the evaluation as the “triage” stage and provides the review at no cost. Once the evaluation is complete and the business owner has agreed to the action plan, the group moves ahead with implementation. Fees for the alliance’s services vary depending on the consultant and service, but Goerger says the typical range is $100 to $300 per hour.

The overall goal of the group is to help small business owners build successful, sustainable and profitable organizations by providing services clients can afford. Day says the group has been successful because each member believes that no one is an expert in every area of business and they willingly recommend others when an issue is out of their field. While the initial alliance group is based primarily in Fargo, Day says the concept may soon be expanded to Bismarck, N.D. The group also hosts a radio program in Fargo to provide insight into the various aspects of running a successful business. PB

Kris Bevill Editor, Prairie Business 701-306-8561, kbevill@prairiebizmag.com